August 21st
I woke up at 6:00 planning to start my ride early but it was pouring rain so I decided to wait. After checking the weather it looked like the rain would stop around 8 so I was on the road shortly after 8. It was very humid starting out but got a little better throughout the day. It was nice to have some cloud cover at least. I made a stop for ice water and coffee at a McDonalds in Warner, Oklahoma. I met a nice man who offered to show me a shortcut out of town and to the highway I had planned to ride. I followed him in his car for a couple miles and then rolled on down the highway. It was a pleasant ride through the country with rolling farmland and increasing trees. I took a break on the Arkansas River at a nice quiet park just outside of Gore, OK. After tuning up my bike and relaxing a bit it started to rain a little bit so I headed down the road. After passing through the town of Gore I biked down a very narrow, curvy, dangerous road with a good amount of traffic. It was scary and I was very happy to arrive to the Fin and Feather Resort without and injuries! The owners of the resort Steve and Lezli donated to me a cabin for the evening as well as lunch and dinner. Thanks so much Steve and Lezli!!! My cabon was excellent! There was a nice big bed, a kitchen, great shower, big porch, good soaps, and a jacuzzi! I ate lunch at the 35 foot Sunday buffet which had all kinds of excellent food. After lunch I played a game of disc golf at the resort and then relaxed for a little while at the cabin. For dinner I went to Soda Steve's which is also part of the resort. Steve Pool the owner, came up with the idea while doing mission work in Costa Rica. We talked for a while and I learned of Steve's work and travels. Very inspirational! Steve and his wife Lezli also gave me a bunch of gifts including a hat, t-shirt, postcards, and more! Steve makes his own root beer which was excellent as well as a very tasty cream soda float. I had a delicious chicken sandwich and cheese fries and used the wifi at Soda Steve's before heading back to the cabin to soak in the jacuzzi. After getting back to the room I dropped my camera and it wasn't working anymore, shoot! Overall a really good day!
http://www.finandfeatherresort.com/
http://www.sodasteves.com/
Found this picture online while looking up Gore, Oklahoma. This is I-40 and the bridge collapsed in 2002 when a barge hit it. I didn't bike across this bridge but could see it from the bridge I crossed nearby.
Very dry corn from the Oklahoma drought
Arkansas River
Look at all of these trees!!!
My very awesome cabin at the Fin and Feather Resort, thanks Fin and Feather!
Plate #1 at the Sunday buffet
Disc golf course at the resort
Dinner at Soda Steves
Gifts from Steve and Lezli, thanks!!!
Happy Cow :)
August 22nd
I started the morning off with some really good coffee and hash browns at Soda Steve's. I got online to check the weather when Steve stopped by and told me there were some storms moving in. He offered me another night at the resort and I happily accepted. I had not taken a day off since Albuquerque so it was nice to have a day to just relax and not have to get anywhere. I took a nice long nap, watched some TV, relaxed at the cabin, and then head dinner at the Italian buffet. The food once again was delicious and I ate more than I should have. After dinner I relaxed on the cabin porch for a while and soaked in the jacuzzi again. Had a really nice day of rest and relaxation at the Fin and Feather Resort. Thanks so much Steve and Lezli, love your resort!!!
Took this picture of some very tasty chicken alfredo with my phone
( camera still not working )
August 23rd
Woke up to a hot morning and stopped at Soda Steve's again for some more delicious coffee and breakfast. After getting packed up I met with Steve and did a quick interview about my bike trip. Steve donated $100 towards my Make-A-Wish fundraising from his mission jar which is donations from Steve's customers for all kinds of mission work around the world. When I was eating at Soda Steve's the first night Steve made an announcement to the customers about my bike trip and fund-raisinf efforts and the very friendly customers donated $24 towards my cause. Very good people at the Fin and Feather Resort! Once again, thank you so much for everything Steve and Lezli!!!! I had a wonderful time and can't thank you enough for all you have done! I said my goodbyes and headed down the road to Stilwell, Oklahoma. Although I heard some thunder it never did rain but was very hot all day. I tried turning my camera on again just for the heck of it and sure enough it worked, yay! Very happy about that! I biked up and down some really big hills and took a nice break at Lake Tenkiller State Park. Once again I was on a very dangerous stretch of road with no shoulders, lot's of sharp curves, and a good amount of traffic. About 3 miles from Stilwell I got ran off the road and broke my chain. I had only fixed a chain once before on my previous bike trip from Wisconsin to California. I eventually figured out how to fix it and slowly rolled into Stilwell. My chain was skipping and not sounding quite right so I got an air-conditioned room to work on it some more and try to figure out what was wrong. I did some laundry and spent quite a while working on my bike. I wasn't sure if my repair was going to hold up so I got online and found out there was a bike shop about 40 miles north east of me in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I decided I would change my route and make Fayetteville tomorrows destination.
Lake Tenkiller
Lake Tenkiller
Repair work
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